Category Archives: British Food

Have you ever wondered what British foods are unique to Britain, that you cannot get anywhere else?

Well, even if you haven’t, I’m going to give you 5 great British foods that I think you won’t find anywhere else, so without further ado…..

No: 5

Melton Mowbray Pork Pie

If you’ve never had a pork pie, or more specifically a Melton Mowbray Pork Pie, then you have missed out on one of the traditional British delights! A Melton Mowbray pork pie is an uncured meat pie with a hand-formed pastry crust, which are made in Melton Mowbray, a town in Leicestershire.

If you are ever in the area and want to try a truly authentic Melton Mowbray pork pie, then pay a visit to the Dickinson & Morris shop, where they have been baking them since 1851!

No: 4

Haggis

Plenty of us have heard of haggis. But how many actually know what it is? Well, recipes vary, but generally, a traditional haggis is the minced offal (heart, liver & lungs) of a sheep, minced with onion, oatmeal, suet, spices, and salt, then mixed with stock, and then stuffed into a sheep’s stomach and simmered for approximately three hours.

It’s certainly not a dish for the squeamish, but if you hunt down good quality traditional haggis you will be surprised how tasty it is, with a nutty texture and delicious savoury flavour, and in Scotland it is traditionally eaten with turnip and potatoes to make a heartening dish!

No: 3

Devon Cream Tea

The county of Devon is renowned for its lush green pastures, which via a long process goes through its copious amounts of moo cows, turned into milk, and then delicious Devonshire clotted cream.

For those of you who have missed out on this calorific treat, clotted cream is a thick, velvety cream which is traditionally eaten atop a freshly baked scone, with strawberry jam to accompany it, and finally a freshly brewed cup of tea to wash it down.

Definitely something that you simply have to eat once in your lifetime, if not every week if you live in Devon!

No: 2

Cornish Pasty

If there was ever a traditional food that has been tainted by mass production, it is the Cornish pasty. Many have tried to copy it, but all have failed.

A traditional Cornish pasty has a distinctive ‘D’ shape and is crimped on one side. The filling is made up of uncooked minced or roughly cut chunks of beef, swede (sometimes called turnip in Cornwall), potato, onion and a light peppery seasoning.

They make a delicious dinner all on their own, especially if you make a proper job big one!

Did you know the world’s largest Cornish pasty was made in August 2010, measuring 4.6 metres (15 ft) and weighing 860 kilograms (1,900 lb) — now that would feed you for a while!

No: 1

British Cheese

I had a number of foods to choose from for no: 1, and I wanted to choose my favourite cheese, Smoked Apple-Wood, but then that isn’t unique to Britain, so I thought I would just say British Cheese in general as we’ve got so many!

Without a doubt cheese is a British obsession, and if you’ve tasted any of our cheese’s you’ll know hands down that nowhere else does cheese quite like us Brits.

We’ve got a bewildering array of styles and flavours here, and they range from the tangy blue Stilton to the original and best-selling Cheddar, which I’ve got to say is probably at its tastiest from my very own part of the UK, the West Country, specifically from a place called Cheddar funnily enough!

The British Cheese Board states that we produce over 700 named cheeses throughout the UK, so if you don’t yet have a cheese you can call your favourite, then don’t fret, you’ve got plenty to try, and I can highly recommend Smoked Apple Wood!

——-

Well, that’s that for this 5 Unique British Foods post. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I did writing it. It was a lot more difficult than I thought it would be initially, as we’ve got so many great foods that are unique to us here in the UK.

Let me know if you have a favourite food that is unique to Britain, or perhaps of a cheese that I could try, I do like a nice piece of cheese, especially with a nice English apple and a glass of wine!